Parliamentary questions

270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of high-priority child protection cases that remain unallocated in each Tusla area as of the most recent reporting date. [66379/25]

271. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to improve Tusla ICT and record-keeping systems, including plans for real-time data on allocation, priority level, and service access for children. [66380/25]

272. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the level of funding allocated to child protection and welfare services in each of the past five years; and the proportion of this funding spent on front-line staffing, training, and ICT systems. [66381/25]

273. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the vacancy rate for social workers in each Tusla area, and the number of posts that have remained unfilled for more than six months. [66382/25]

274. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average and highest child protection caseload levels held by social workers in each Tusla area; and the measures in place to reduce caseload pressure. [66383/25]

275. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the escalation procedures used when a high-priority case remains unallocated for more than one week; and the number of cases escalated under these procedures in 2023 and 2024. [66384/25]

276. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of HIQA recommendations for Tusla that remain outstanding at national level; and the date of the most recent Departmental review of these outstanding items. [66385/25]

277. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of child protection cases where delays have been caused by multi-agency actions involving education, health, or Garda services; and the steps she is taking to improve coordination. [66386/25]

278. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of out-of-hours calls received by Tusla in 2023 and 2024; and the number of these calls that required emergency intervention. [66387/25]

279. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of quality assurance checks carried out on child protection files in each Tusla area in 2023 and 2024, and the number of files found to require further action. [66388/25]

280. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason Tusla does not collect national data on average waiting times for the allocation of child protection cases; the date on which her Department last reviewed this data-collection gap; and the steps she will take to ensure that waiting-time data is collected and published for every Tusla area. [66442/25]

281. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of unallocated child protection and welfare cases in each Tusla area as of the most recent reporting date, including the number of cases categorised as high, medium, and low priority. [66443/25]

282. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans to introduce mandatory reassessment triggers for child protection cases, including automatic reprioritisation following a second or subsequent referral, and to set out the Department’s current policy position on such triggers. [66444/25]

283. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions taken by her Department in response to recent HIQA findings that children at risk of sexual abuse in Dublin south central were not receiving timely safety planning or therapeutic support; and the reforms she will prioritise nationally to ensure timely intervention in such cases. [66445/25]

284. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current staffing levels assigned to Barnahus West, Barnahus South, and Barnahus East; the number of unfilled posts; the expected timeline for full staffing at each site; and the projected caseload capacity when fully operational. [66446/25]

285. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the compliance timelines, milestones, and performance metrics agreed with Tusla following the HIQA inspections in February 2024 and April 2025; and the mechanism used by her Department to monitor delivery against these commitments at area, regional, and national level. [66447/25]

286. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the interim supports, therapeutic or otherwise, that are provided to children assessed as being at risk of sexual abuse while awaiting allocation to a Tusla worker; and the protocols in place to ensure no child remains without support during extended waiting periods. [66448/25]

287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an assessment of the adequacy of current training and continuous professional development provided to Tusla front-line staff in identifying and responding to risks of child sexual abuse, and if further reforms are planned. [66449/25]

288. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to expand access to early intervention therapies for children with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66478/25]

289. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Kildare awaiting assessments of need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66479/25]

290. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has reviewed the impact of its own ECCE guidance for late-December births, specifically where parents were advised they could defer entry in the child’s best interests; and if she will publish any internal analysis on cases where children were subsequently locked out of their second ECCE year as a re…

291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will establish an exceptional review mechanism for children who miss the ECCE upper age limit by fewer than seven days due to guidance provided by the Department or by ECCE operators; and if she has assessed the financial and developmental impact of this situation on families. [66576/25]

746. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of people under the age of 65 currently residing in nursing homes, in tabular form; the primary medical or support needs associated with these individuals; the average cost of providing their care in these settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65295/25]

747. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a social worker has been appointed to the Dungarvan children's disability network team (CDNT 6) to advocate for children with disabilities [65616/25]

748. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will review the AIM funding for a person (details supplied); the options available to the family in order that their child can remain in pre-school for a full day; the steps her Department is taking to address situations where a child’s right to equal participation is compromised due to funding or staf…